Myers, O's hit mark, 4-1 Closer gets 300th save

Orioles break out for 13 hits to top Phillies

Erickson improves to 11-3

Palmeiro has 3 errors but ends HR drought

July 02, 1997|By Peter Schmuck | Peter Schmuck,SUN STAFF

Orioles closer Randy Myers finally arrived at his date with baseball history last night. He pitched a scoreless ninth inning to secure a 4-1 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies and became the ninth pitcher in major-league history to accumulate 300 saves.

Myers had waited nine days between appearances. The Orioles had struggled offensively in between and failed to provide him with any reason to leave the bullpen. But the club -- like many who have played the bedraggled Phillies this year -- has bounced back this week, and the milestone was just a matter of time anyway.

The Orioles made the least of 13 hits, but they entered the ninth inning with a three-run lead. Myers, who isn't known for doing things the easy way, walked the first batter he faced, then settled down to strike out the next three batters and regain a share of the American League lead with his 26th save in 27 opportunities.

After a shower of orange and black confetti, Myers was his usual subdued self, accepting the game ball and the congratulations of his teammates in typical low-key fashion.

"It's one more save," Myers said. "It's the one stat that really isn't controllable. Everything has to happen with the team. It's really all a matter of opportunities."

The other major beneficiary was right-hander Scott Erickson, who carried a strong performance into the eighth inning and solidified his claim to an All-Star berth with his 11th victory. It also was a big win for the team, which moved 6 1/2 games up on the New York Yankees and ended the steady erosion of a large division lead.

"Hopefully, we'll pick up a few more before the All-Star break," Myers said.

The 34-year-old left-hander became the second-youngest pitcher to reach 300 saves and did it in the second-fewest relief appearances (627). Lee Smith reached 300 at 33 and Dennis Eckersley got his 300th in his 499th appearance.

It was a historic night, but it would not have been a memorable game if not for Myers. Rafael Palmeiro made three errors in a game for the first time in his career and the Orioles were unable to take full advantage of their biggest hit total since June 9.

Myers had a right to be rusty. He had not pitched since June 22 and it showed when he walked pinch hitter Kevin Sefcik to open the ninth. But he struck out pinch hitters Kevin Jordan, Ruben Amaro and Mike Lieberthal to join Bruce Sutter in eighth place in the all-time save rankings.

"I guess I'm the type of guy who will look back on it later," Myers said. "I'm not a collector of memorabilia, I'm a collector of memories. It's not my personality. I don't have to show someone what I've done. I know what I've done. I don't boast about what I do. That's something to look back on later."

He refused to look ahead, though 400 saves -- and a likely place in the Hall of Fame -- clearly are within reach, maybe in 1999.

Erickson appeared to have excellent stuff from the get-go, but he didn't have particularly great luck. The Phillies, who lost their eighth straight game, put 12 runners on base during his 7 1/3 innings, and only two of them hit the ball out of the infield.

He worked easily through the first three innings, but the Phillies manufactured a run almost out of thin air in the fourth, and nearly turned a collection of weak ground balls into a big rally.

Mickey Morandini reached first when his one-out chopper to the right side skipped past Palmeiro for the first of his errors. Morandini stole second and Darren Daulton walked before a pair of infield bouncers brought home a run and left the bases loaded with one out.

fTC Rookie Scott Rolen got credit for a single when shortstop Mike Bordick charged his chopper and Palmeiro couldn't come up with his hurried low throw. Rico Brogna drove home the run with a bases-loaded bouncer back to the mound that glanced off Erickson's glove and rolled just far enough away to allow everybody to advance one base.

It would have been a routine double play ball if a leaping Erickson could have speared it, but he didn't have time to fully extend and found himself still facing a base-loaded situation. He finally got a break when Gregg Jefferies lined out to Cal Ripken and Derrick May flied out.

Palmeiro had an eventful night. He committed another error to open the sixth, but redeemed himself in a big way when he leaped high to snag another liner by Jefferies and turn it into an inning-ending double play. He made a third error in the eighth, but also a nice play to flag down an errant pickoff throw by Erickson and several other good plays over the course of the evening.